Super Zeroes
by igirisexual
Summary: A group of teens with paranormal abilities is held deep within the compound. It's testing day, and all seems fine. That is, until the government discovers this compound and all of the zeroes within. They're made to 'rehabilitate'; to become normal members of society. They've got one chance, and if they mess it up, they're to be terminated. Ivan and Alfred just so happen to mess up.
1. Chapter 1

Alfred slammed his fist into the punching bag. It shuddered with the force, and he let out a proud laugh. Another punch, and then two more, and he glanced up from the target to the scientists. He smiled brightly from his side of the bulletproof glass, and grinned even wider when a few of them began to clap. He had done well! They always enjoyed watching him, didn't they? He took a bow, and then practically skipped out of the training room. Well, that was a big weight off of his chest. He'd just spent the last half hour in there, showing them what he was made of, and he'd received applause. Others feared the test, but he loved it. It was a chance to show off!

"Who's next?" he hummed as he re-entered the common room, and practically threw himself at the lumpy couch.

"I am, if I can get up from under your fat ass." a quiet voice chimed, and Matthew, Alfred's brother, gently shoved him away. Alfred had dived right onto him, and hadn't even seen him before.

"Dude, you sure your power isn't invisibility?" Alfred scoffed, and rolled off of Matthew.

"If it was invisibility, I wouldn't be forced to maim myself in a hundred different ways, eh." Matthew deadpanned, standing up and stretching. "I bet they love watching me do it, the sadists."

"Well, whatever, my power's cooler than yours," Alfred yawned, flopping down and putting his head where Matthew had just been sitting. "Have fun throwing yourself off the hanging thing."

"You mean the suspended rail."

"I don't really care, bro," he scoffed, and watched his brother leave for the test room. It was always around this time of month that everyone would be ushered in, one by one, and their abilities would be monitored. As aforementioned, most of the zeroes hated it, and thought of it as a chore.

Oh yeah. Zeroes. That was a term Alfred like to refer to all of his fellow ability-holders as. He was the super _hero_. And they were the super _zeroes_. Kind of arrogant, but it was Alfred's thing to have an inflated ego. He rested on the couch, staring up at the ceiling until his brother came back. Matthew returned in forty-five minutes, and Alfred wondered why his testing had taken so long.

"Sup, big guy?" Alfred smirked, sitting back up so Matthew could join him on the common room's sofa. "How'd the test go?"

"Perfect score," he mumbled, before plopping himself down and slumping against his brother. Matthew's cheeks and arms were covered in blood, but there were no marks to be seen or spoken of. "I only had to break my neck and arms four times today before they'd let me go. New record."

"Really," he scoffed. "Congrats. I got a better than perfect score, totally."

"You don't know that until they give back the results."

"Shut up."

They idled about for the next half hour, chatting quietly or watching the rest of the zeroes around the lobby. Most of them were doing the same, waiting around for their test results, or waiting for their turn to be tested. Everyone was eager to go back to the main room of the facility, the one where they could train and play freely. There was a slam of the test room's door opening, and there he was.

"Arthur Kirkland!" one of the scientists called, opening the judging room's door and entering the lobby. "Your test isn't over yet!"

"Go stuff yourself!" Arthur growled, charging over to the couch. "I can't fucking swim, what's the point!" The scientist idled a moment, before sighing and returning to the judging room..

"Hey, dude," Alfred sighed, shuffling over and creating a space between he and Matthew for Arthur to sit in. "You didn't do your waterbreathing again?"

"They should just be happy they're seeing my telekinesis," Arthur scowled. "Yet no, they want me to do the waterbreathing in that blasted pool they set up for me. I can't swim! Why this!"

"The most you'd do is sink and stay at the bottom for a while," Matthew commented softly, petting their fellow zeroes' shoulder. "Then they'd pull you out."

Francis was next to go in. Loud applause could be heard from the judging room, and Arthur just groaned the whole time. When the flouncy blond finally came out of the room, he had flowers all through his hair and smelled like damp earth. He waltzed across the room, and sat down smack bang on Arthur's lap. "Do you bloody mind!" he cussed, giving the other teen a shove.

"No, I do not mind, for ugly people should be my cushion!" Francis laughed and turned around, pushing at Arthur's face.

The two ended up on the ground, brawling and striking one another, until Arthur, who was currently on top, stopped dead in his movement. Slowly, he released Francis's long hair, and got to his feet. He then turned, sat calmly down on the couch, and punched Alfred in the face.

"Very good!" said one of the scientists, smiling to a near-freakishly tall boy, who gasped as his conscience returned to his own body. Alfred glared first at Arthur, but then at the other boy, Ivan. "That was perfect!"

"Thank you," nodded Ivan. "Do I still need to do my test?"

"No, no, I think you've shown us enough already."

When the scientist returned to the judging room and the next zero went in for testing, Ivan cheered softly to himself, and walked over to where Francis was still on the ground. "I am sorry for not stopping him sooner, friend." He yawned, and sat down on the common room floor. "But, I got out of the test, so I am happy."

"_Merci_," Francis laughed softly, looking up at Arthur and winking. Arthur seethed and went to kick him, but Ivan had possessed his mind before his foot could connect, and next thing he knew, he was punching Alfred again.

"Ow-" Alfred stammered. "Dude, what the heck? Why'd you do that again?"

"I don't like you," Ivan smiled, answering instead of Arthur. "And I like putting my power to good use."

At last, the final of their little group of friends came out from testing, walking on air. No, literally. He was floating towards the group. "Sup, Starbound," Alfred greeted, raising a hand to wave, while trying to kick Ivan. Ivan grabbed his foot and tried to squash it in his hand.

"That's a ridiculous nickname," the boy remarked. "Don't call me that."

"But dude!" Alfred cried. "You're like a moon!"

"No, I'm not."

"But you've like got your own gravity field, like the moon-"

"No."

"Yao!" Ivan hummed, jumping up to his feet. "How'd your test go?"

"Same as usual," Yao murmured, floating forward a little more before hopping down to the physical ground. "They made me crumple a juice box, and then made me jump really high."

"I don't even have to test," the taller boy smirked, petting Yao's head. "Starbound."

"Oh no! Not you too!" Yao cried dramatically. "Do you really want to be like Alfred?"

"No," chuckled Ivan. "I am just teasing you, friend."

Now that the group was all together, they chatted quietly, eager for getting back to the main facility, Alfred the most so. The other zeroes came in and out of the test room; Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Antonio's tests seemed to be without err. Only when it came to those Italian brothers' turns did things get interesting. The first brother to go into the test room was the elder, a brown-haired boy called Lovino.

"Watch this," mused Arthur softly, stopping the chatter between their group. Only five minutes later did the door bust open, and Lovino charged out of the test room.

"Shut up!" he cursed to the other zeroes as they started to laugh at him. "Shut up, all of you!" And he disappeared from the common room.

Arthur had been here in the compound longer than any of the zeroes he could call his friends, and he knew the lowdown on everybody. Lovino Vargas, of Italian descent. He was clumped in here with the rest of the zeroes, believed to be carrying the gene for abilities. From what Arthur had overheard, he was supposed to have telepathy, but it had been buried dormant thanks to his phenotype: unable to use powers. His younger brother, Feliciano, was the opposite: a blooming young man with an incredible ability. Speaking of which, Feliciano, and then the rest of the zeroes, were called into the test room for the final test of the day.

They were lined up as per usual, with various zeroes complaining quietly to their elbow partners. The scientists loved watching Feliciano's test, honestly. He was quite an interesting fellow, with quite an interesting skillset. Alfred was first in line, and from there, the zeroes organized themselves in the order they'd run their tests in. Feliciano walked-… er, actually, he skipped. Feliciano skipped up to the start of the line, and touched Alfred's shoulder. He then took a step back, and began to violently shake, before jumping up and landing back down, causing the floor of the room to shake. Simple enough. He looked frightened when he came to the second test. Matthew.

"Eh.. Do I have to do his power?" Feliciano mumbled to the watching scientists, and they grimly shook their heads.

"See how it feels, pasta boy." Matthew mumbled a touch bitterly. Feliciano dropped his hands lightly onto Matthew's shoulders, and took a step back. Then, as he would do every other test day, Matthew jumped forward, putting Feliciano into a headlock, and then snapping his neck.

Feliciano dropped to the ground, and twitched for a moment. Every time that test day came around, Matthew would have to do this. Every time, Feliciano would wake up. But he always had that flash of doubt and guilt just before. As per usual, Feliciano gasped awake and sat up, using his hands to twist his neck back into place. There was a soft crack and the click of his muscles fixing themselves, and he stood up. "Ow," he whimpered softly. He moved on.

It was the same-old, really. Touch Arthur, throw a ball using the power of his mind. Touch Francis, cause a flower to grow from empty earth. Ivan. Try and possess someone. Yao. Try to mess with gravity. Some of these powers were easier than others, and even after all these tests before, he was never really too good at any of them. With Kiku's power, he would say something to Kiku, have him repeat it aloud, and then erase the memory from Kiku's mind. It was easy enough, he supposed. Then came Ludwig, where he would tap the boy he admired, and then climb up the wall. He was agile enough as he was, and he did use the power better than Ludwig could. For Gilbert, he simply grabbed his cheek and stretched it out, before snapping it back into place. Ah, elasticity. Antonio's power was nothing interesting, just sapping the heat out of things and then transferring it into something else.

When Feliciano finally reached his brother at the end of the line, he was huffing, and downright exhausted from the sheer effort it took to use all of these powers. He simply slumped against Lovino, hugging him loosely. He then glanced up, and frowned. "You're not useless, _fratello_." Lovino shoved him aside, and that was the end of testing day.

Finally, the restless group of teens was ushered out of the common room and into the main hub of the facility. They were to return to their usual clamor while they waited for the results.

"Ah, man," Alfred sighed, stretching his arms and leading the entire group of zeroes to the hub. "Sucks that testing day's over." The hub was a giant room. Absolutely incredible, really. The sky was simulated, as they were, in fact, inside an industrial building for their own safety and security. It appeared like a glass dome (although the actual building was rectangular), and trees and plants grew in tumultuous clumps everywhere. Between the trees were winding paths, which lead to various training areas, like those for strength and endurance, and then those for abnormal abilities.

"I'm so relieved," Matthew murmured, giving his brother a little shove. "Now I can go off and eat." There was a small area of the hub that connected to a cafeteria of sorts, that dished out various meals for the zeroes to enjoy. They weren't that great, as the facility itself wasn't too high on budget anymore (most of the money was spent on the hub and testing room), but it the meals were edible, and that was enough. These kids had hardly, if ever, seen the outside world, so they accepted what they got with open arms.

"Ah, dude, wait up," Alfred grinned, grabbing Matthew's shoulder and yanking it just to mock him and his instant regeneration. "Get me and Arthur something, 'kay? Can you see if they have those burger things! Yeah, yeah," he nodded, and Matthew mumbled things about not being his brother's slave. He went and did it anyway, because he was a polite boy who valued courtesy.

"Ugh," muttered Arthur. "He's nice, and you're a jackass to him," he mumbled. "Grow some manners."

"Ooh, ooh, Alfred!" Francis called, hopping after the two.

"Can you go away!" Arthur growled, giving him a shove. "Go and play with the flowers or something."

"No, Arthur, but Alfred's like a living breathing vibrator! Can you imagine-"

Arthur kicked Francis in the balls before he could continue. Ah, teenagers.

"Thanks," Alfred mused as they walked away from the now-crying boy on the ground. "I don't wanna touch his ween. That would be icky."

"I don't think that's what he wanted you to do," Arthur commented quietly, raising one of his enormous brows.

They went and sat down by the hulking tree in the middle of the hub, which Francis clambered up and grew vines along. Yao and Ivan had disappeared somewhere along the line. 'Probably gone to make out' Arthur had remarked.

"We could make out," winked Alfred, and became promptly covered in leaf litter. Ah, the fun of having your telekinesis-wielding friend throwing a collection of gritty leaves at you. He scoffed and shoved them away, only to have Arthur shove _him_ in return.

"Francis is right up there." Arthur reminded him, pouting. "And for all I know, Matthew will come back right when we start to snog."

"Ahah, snog," Alfred laughed, dropping the topic entirely as Matthew did, indeed, come back. He was carrying a small tray with three smaller boxes upon it.

"I'm back," Matthew announced with a sigh, and Arthur tried his best to lift the tray from Matthew's hands. His control was unsteady, and Matthew held on tighter to the tray. "Nice try. I've got it, Arthur." Arthur simply scoffed as if his plan hadn't failed, and Matthew sat down beside them.

"Is that food?" hummed Francis from above, climbing downward and dropping beside Arthur and Alfred.

"Not for you!" Arthur spat, staring at him. "Go get your own."

"Fine!" Francis huffed, waving his hand nonchalantly at the pair. Oh, wait, trio. Matthew was there. "I will go and get something that does not smell like putting on weight."

They watched him go, and Arthur and Alfred laughed quietly as they opened and tucked into their burgers. Matthew had gotten those pancake things for himself, and curled up beside his brother. Everything seemed peaceful, and they ate in comfortable silence.

"Where's Francis?" Matthew asked after a while. Francis hadn't returned from getting his food, like he was supposed to. He normally would be back by now, eating some nice food and bragging about how he was so nice looking because of how he nurtured himself.

"Who gives a shit," Arthur said bluntly. "Maybe he got lost."

"He's been in the compound almost as long as you," Matthew pointed out quietly. "I doubt he's lost."

"Maybe he's got gas," Alfred pointed out.

"Cousin does _not_ have gas." Matthew groaned quietly. "Alfred, we should go and find him."

Those plans were dropped instantly as the simulated sky above flickered off, and the entire hub was drenched in shadow. And then came a blood-curdling scream.

* * *

**i love leaving things on cliffhangers 6w6**

**anyway new fic! its one that isnt a oneshot isnt that incredible!**

**superpowers aaahhhh  
**

**alfred - extreme vibration  
arthur - telekinesis, waterbreathing  
francis - nature control  
matthew - instant regeneration  
yao - gravity control  
ivan - mental possession  
lud - wall climbing  
gil - elasticity  
feli -ability absorption  
toni - heat control  
lovi - telepathy (dormant)**

**oh boyyyyyyyyyyYYYYYYY IM EXCITED**


	2. Chapter 2

"Dude!" Alfred cried aloud, but Arthur's hand was clamped over his mouth in a second.

"Shut up," he whispered. "Shut up. Stay calm. I'm sure it's just a power failure."

Matthew found his hand in Alfred's, and they stayed perfectly still. They didn't move for a whole minute, and the power did not come back.

"I don't think it's a power failure," Matthew said quietly. "We should go and see what's going on."

"Grab Ivan and Yao and have them look with you," Arthur said quickly. He didn't particularly want to be wandering around when it was so dark in here, especially with a bunch of rogue and hormonal teenagers in the same room. Well, he feared their powers more than their hormones.

Matthew hesitantly got to his feet, and they heard him slowly moving off. "Dude," Alfred whimpered, rolling over against the tree and holding Arthur closely. "I'm scared." He huffed.

"The lights are just out," Arthur mumbled, although he gently pet Alfred's head anyway. "I'm sure it's going to be fine."

"What about the scream though?"

Arthur fell silent, trying to think of a valid response. "Someone was probably just freaking out because the lights died." Alfred went to whine a response, but they heard footsteps and a rustling of leaves, and they both fell dead quiet. In the dark, it was impossible to see who it was, so it could either be Matthew, Francis, or one of the scientists, and they would have no idea using their sight alone.

The person was neither of those in the criteria, and was in fact a gun toting government man dressed in black. That was still a mystery to the zeroes, however. "Shit," the man muttered, and Alfred tried not to jolt in Arthur's arms. "Hey, can I get some lighting back on in here? You guys killed the sky." It definitely wasn't a scientist, and even Arthur felt frightened at this point. There was a crackling noise, most probably a radio communicator, and the sky flickered back on again, lighting up everything below. The man, now illuminated with the rest of the hub, turned toward the quivering pair and tilted his head. "Base, I've got a pair of them here."

Alfred wrestled himself out of Arthur's tightening grip, and stood shakily in front of him. "Who're you," he mumbled, staring up at the black-clad man. Alfred had never seen a gun before, and thus wasn't intimidated when the rifle was lifted, and its barrel was aimed at his stomach.

"Me? I'm one of the guys here to rescue you. It's your lucky day, and it's the lucky day of every other kid in here. We're gonna take you somewhere safe."

"We're safe here," Alfred muttered, not glancing back as Arthur got to his feet. "The scientists keep us safe from the outside world."

"Hey, kid," the man puffed. "They're keeping you prisoner. Not keeping you 'safe'."

"Nuh uh!" Alfred snarled childishly, staying stubborn and pig-headed. "Leave us alone, or I'll-"

"We'll come peacefully," interrupted Arthur, clamping a hand over Alfred's mouth. "There's no need to bring a weapon into the equation."

"I'm glad one of you knows that," the man nodded, and put a firm hand on either of the teens' shoulders.

Alfred, huffing, almost began buzzing where he stood, but Arthur shot him a glare and he ceased instantly. Neither of them truly believed that they were being rescued, but Arthur was smart enough to not ask questions to a man with a rifle, and Alfred had Arthur to stop him. The hub itself was eerily quiet, void of the usual clamor that cane with superpowered teenagers.

"Sir?" said Arthur quietly as he walked behind the man: he was leading them through the hub and out to the common room, although his sense of direction was kind of lousy. That was fair, considering that he supposedly never visited this building before.

"Name's Allen."

"Allen?" Arthur mumbled, voice hushed with fear. "Where are the scientists? Where are you from-"

"Scientists!" he laughed, not turning back to look at the pair. Alfred tensed in a moment of frustration, and Arthur squeezed his hand to say _no, Alfred, don't get angry now_. "They're not scientists."

"They're not..?" he murmured. Of course, he was skeptic of everything this stranger said, but he listened regardless.

"No, they're not! Those bastards are kidnapping assholes," Allen sneered. "Who're going to be taking a long hike off a short cliff."

"You can't do that!" Alfred gasped, jumping forward and trying to strike the man.

His fist connected, and Arthur just felt shock and dread overwhelm him. Why did Alfred have to be an idiot? Allen turned and stared down at him, eyes glinting with frustration. "Okay, kid," he said bluntly, and pulled Alfred into a headlock. He then lifted his rifle and pressed the barrel into Alfred's temple. "That was the easy way, and if you want the hard way, so be it."

"I'm sorry about him," Arthur mumbled weakly, praying that Alfred wouldn't do something stupid and ultimately get his brain blown out. "Please don't shoot him."

"I won't, if he doesn't try to attack me again," he snarled.

The rest of the walk to the common room was relatively quiet, with Arthur and Alfred left to their thoughts. Allen gave them a little shove inside, and then turned to face the doorway, awaiting further instructions. Once they actually arrived, Alfred was relieved to see his brother, and scuttled away from Allen to join him. "Matthew," he whispered, diving onto his brother and holding him closely. If Arthur didn't know better, he would say he saw a glimpse of Allen turning and smiling ever so faintly. He quickly followed, but instead of focusing on one person, observed the whole room.

They had all been herded like sheep in here, some staying strong and stoic, others breaking down in fear. Well, to name an example of both of those, Ludwig and Feliciano. Feliciano was up against the corner, with Ludwig, Gilbert, Antonio, and Feliciano huddled around him. Kiku sat oddly to the side, his hands in his lap as he looked about the room. Arthur assumed that he had the same idea as the smaller boy; observation is key. Francis wasn't here at the moment, but only seconds after Arthur had that thought, another man in black dragged the boy in, and he ran over to them.

"Arthur!" he cried, diving on his friend as Alfred had to Matthew. "Arthur, thank goodness you're okay!" Francis was most surprised when Arthur actually put his arms around him in an embrace.

"You too, lad," Arthur said in little more than a whisper.

"What was that? Is Arthur concerned about _moi_?" Francis gasped, leaning back a bit to look at Arthur with wide eyes. Arthur took this moment to punch him in the face.

"Of course I am, dimwit! This is frightening for all of us." He growled, and promptly shoved the dumbly-smiling Francis off of him. "Stop looking so goddamn happy. This is a serious time."

"I'm just happy because you care about me," Francis said quietly, rubbing his cheek and moving to sit down beside Matthew and Alfred. "That is all." Arthur paused a moment, growing quite flustered.

"I-.. I do no-.. not! I, I don't!" he stammered, sitting on the side opposite to Francis, mainly so that he was closer to Alfred. "Shut up!" Thankfully, Francis did as he said, and Arthur rested against the quivering and frightened Alfred.

It was then, as he looked up, did he finally see Ivan sitting alone on the couch opposite to their own. He was staring at the ground, and his eyes couldn't be seen due to the curtain of blond that shaded them. His hands were clenched, knuckles white. "Hey, Alfred?" Arthur said quietly, nudging his brother. "Is something up with Ivan?" Alfred paused, and looked to his brother.

"Bro, you've been in here longer than us, what's up with Snowglobe?" Alfred whispered.

"Oh," Matthew mumbled, frowning. "He's.. Well, he's upset because they took him and couldn't get Yao. I'd say he's worried."

"I can hear you," said Ivan bluntly, looking up with gritted teeth. "I am right here."

Everyone on the couch opposite to him paused dead, and fell silent. But Mathew was the first one to make a move. Slowly, he wormed out of his brother's arms, and stood. He simply coughed, fixed his shirt, and walked over to the boy. He sat, putting a hand on Ivan's shoulder and turning to look up at him. "It's going to be okay, eh."

There were mixed emotions about the room. Alfred was currently doing some incredibly violent miming for Matthew to come the fuck back over and leave the crazy violent boy alone, and Arthur was just watching in amazement. Feliciano was still crying over in the other side of the room.

Ivan looked down at the boy, and slowly nodded. "Thank you." He murmured. "I am very worried, though."

"Yao will be fine," Matthew assured with a pleasant smile, tilting his head. "He's a strong guy, he'll be okay."

"I know he's strong," Ivan murmured. "That's why I'm concerned. If he tries to fight back, he will be in big trouble. Everyone except Yao is here now."

"Ah.." Matthew murmured, being forced into a corne. "We'll just wait and I'm sure he'll be here."

After a little while, Matthew's group began to head over toward Ivan, and they would sit down beside or in front of him, creating a human wall of comfort. Alfred was very reluctant to do so, but sat in front of Ivan on the floor, and crossed his arms. Francis and Matthew were to his sides, and Arthur stood up beside the couch.

An odd fifteen minutes flew by, and the doors were finally opened once again. Two of the men dressed in black carried a slumping Yao, whose eyes were shut and who had a small trail of blood coming down from his head. "Yao!" gasped Ivan, going to get up, but Matthew's hand on his shoulder made him stop. He could only stare as Yao was dragged into the room, and placed down, back against the wall.

Everyone's attention was on him now, everyone's eyes pointed directly at Yao. He looked pale, and Ivan went just as such upon this sight. Feliciano whimpered and hid his face in Ludwig's chest. He'd never seen a dead body before. "Yao.." Ivan mumbled, pushing away Matthew's hand and stepping past Alfred. He stumbled over to the boy slumped against the wall, terrified. "Oh, god, Yao-.." He felt his heart tighten, and everything inside him seemed to break at that moment.

"You sound so whiny," Yao mumbled drearily, although his eyes were still closed.

"Yao!" Ivan cried, lurching forward and practically falling on his companion.

"That is my name," he mused quietly, and reached a hand up sloppily to pet Ivan's shoulder. Matthew and the others let out sighs of relief.

"You look like you're dead," Ivan said bluntly, hugging Yao very tightly.

"Thanks," Yao said sarcastically.

Ivan helped the sluggish Yao over to the couch, and held him closely in his arms when he retook his seat.

"What happened to you?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow at the downed boy. "You look like you've been through hell."

"Thank you," Yao groaned quietly, rolling over in Ivan's arms and letting his head lull against the bigger boy's shoulder, their chests touching lightly. "What's with all the compliments, you guys? Gee, I'm flattered."

"Seriously, Yao, I am worried sick," Ivan frowned, furiously pecking kisses to the top of Yao's head. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he mumbled. "I tried floating up really high to get away from them, and they shot me down with tranquilizers." Yao explained lamely, taking a big yawn and nuzzling against Ivan's neck. "I landed badly, that's why my head's bleeding. I hit some trees on my way down, actually."

"Mmph.. That was dangerous of you, Yao," Ivan chided, although his words had no serious scorn to them.

Yao smirked and closed his eyes again. "I'm always dangerous. But y'know what, I made myself really heavy when they had to carry me here. Suckers."

Some amount of time passed; no-one was paying enough attention to register just how much it was. Most of them were fearful at this point, worried by every glance that the men in black would give. Even Arthur, who had so far been vigilant and stone-faced, was showing some signs of anxiety.

There was a slamming of the common room doors being opened, and the scientists were marched in, dressed in their white lab coats; they were quite the contrast to the government men. "Clear," Allen said from the doorway, closing the door to the hub. "All captives located. All criminals located." He uttered into his radio communicator, and turned the lock on the hub door. "Begin next protocol?"

Alfred had stood up to protest, or at least to approach the scientists all staring down at the ground. They were bound, hands tied behind their backs, and with government men surrounding them, guns aimed should any of them try to fight. Arthur grabbed Alfred's arm, and yanked him back down, terrified of what protest could cause. The most they could do now was stay calm. As Allen paused in his conversation to base, the members of the group began to curl up closer to their loved ones, out of fear, out of worry, out of concern.

Francis and Alfred stuck closely to Arthur, who still tried his best to look strong for the rest of them. Matthew was latched onto his brother, and Ivan held Yao tighter than ever before. At last, there was a crackle from Allen's radio, and he glanced to the row of scientists. "All clear!" he called to his collaborators. "Begin next protocol! Move captives out, go!"

The men that weren't surrounding the scientists burst into life, flurrying about the room and trying to get the zeroes up to their feet. Ivan, still carrying Yao, stood at gunpoint, and became leader for the rest of the group as they were ushered into the next room. Matthew stayed closely to him, and Arthur was next, holding Alfred's hand and having to pull him along. Another few men had already gotten to moving the others into the next room. Alfred was last out, and the door was closed behind them.

Alfred had never seen a gun before, let alone heard one when it fired. Arthur looked back at the doors as the sound of bullets flying and bodies thudding against the ground bit at his ears. Grimly, he decided it best not to tell dear Alfred what had just transpired in the room behind them.

* * *

**rehabilitation time 6w6**


End file.
